


Something New

by katiekat784



Series: Somebody To You [2]
Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-19
Updated: 2017-01-19
Packaged: 2018-09-18 12:05:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9384245
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katiekat784/pseuds/katiekat784
Summary: Ashley gets stood up on her date and Hotch ends up coming to her rescue. As the night progresses, feelings bubble back up to the surface and things get complicated.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is part two in a series of loosely connected Ashley/Hotch series.

Something New

She played with the hem of her dress, trying to decide what to do. She checked her phone for the fifth time and sighed. He had asked her to meet him at an Italian restaurant, one that was a little too fancy for her taste. She had been sitting there for almost a half hour and it looked like her date wasn’t even going to show up. It was stupid, she didn’t really want to be there in the first place. She was only there because her friends had been pressuring her to get out more, to start dating again. They didn’t quite understand that she wasn’t really looking for anyone right now. Between her complicated workload and even more complicated personal life, dating hadn’t really been in the cards for her. Besides, the last guy she was interested in didn’t exactly leave her in the best emotional state. She looked out the large glass windows and sighed. Her eyes landed on a couple linking arms while walking along the street. They looked about her age, the man was laughing at the woman as she leaned into him. They didn’t seem bothered by the cold weather outside. She then finished her glass of wine and signaled for the waitress.

“Will that be all?” The young woman asked, unable to remove the pity in her voice.

She ignored the server’s tone and sorry looking eyes. “Yes, thank you. My date is unable to make it tonight.”

Usually she’s prepared for many things. Not much surprises her anymore but as she would later realize, that night was going to be filled with things that she would’ve never been able to see coming.

Because she wasn’t prepared for _him_ to place his coat on the chair across from her and say. “Sorry I’m late, couldn’t get out of work.”

She would’ve been okay, would’ve politely told whoever it was that was clearly pretending to be her date that it was fine. She could handle being stood up. She didn’t need anyone trying to make the situation less awkward or embarrassing. But she didn’t, she couldn’t. Because she knew whose voice that belonged to and honestly, she was in too much shock to do anything.

“Sorry miss, would you be able to give me a few minutes to look at the menu?” He asked, using that smile that could make any woman’s heart melt.

She smiled politely, believing that he actually was her date. “Of course,”

When she was out of earshot, he simply said. “It’s been a while.”

It was then that her brain and mouth seemed to start working again. She hadn’t seen him since she left the team and started working for Andi Swann. The BAU had karaoke night every once and a while, they invited her to join them a few times but she never ended up going. Or rather she couldn’t bring herself to go. She never wanted to think about the reason she always declined. But now he was in front of her, pretending to be her date in a fancy candlelit restaurant.

“Hotch,” she spoke quietly. “What are you doing?”

He simply stared down at the menu. “I had some things to pick up across the street and I saw you in the window. I wasn’t going to say anything but you looked like you needed someone to get you out of an awful, if not slightly awkward situation.”

When she didn’t answer, he put the menu down and looked at her apologetically. “I’m sorry if I’ve overstepped. I’ll leave if you want me to.”

“No!” She said a little too loud but the thought of him walking out made her feel worse than if he were to stay. “No, its fine…I actually could use the company.”

A small smile formed on his face. “Truth be told, so could I.”

“So,” She started after a stretch of silence. “How have you been?”

“I’ve been good. And you, we haven’t heard much from you?” He asked.

“I’ve been doing well, Andi’s kept me pretty busy.” She said quickly, realizing that this may be a very bad idea.

Either he didn’t pick up on her dismissive comment or just chose to ignore it. “Yeah, I’m sure she has. We miss you around the office.”

“Oh, come on, you guys just miss not having the newbie to pick on.” She joked, trying not to dwell on the fact that he had said ‘we’ instead of ‘the team’.

He chuckled and she felt a warmth throughout her body. “Please, you were one of the quickest trainees I’ve known.”

“Were?” She asked, raising her eyebrows.

His tone was light but there was something else that she couldn’t quite put her finger on. “Well, you left.”

Before she could answer the waitress came by. “You two ready to order?”

He looked at her as he spoke. “Yes, I’ll have the portabella mushroom steak.”

“And I’ll have the chicken Alfredo.” She finished.

The waitress spoke as she was writing down their orders. “Sure, would you two like the wine pairings as well?”

“Yes thanks.” They both answered, locking eyes for a moment.

The waitress smiled as she picked up their menus. “Alright, won’t be long.”

After the waitress left, they continued their conversation. Talking with him was surprisingly comfortable. While she knew that he wasn’t the easiest person to divulge personal information from, he certainly knew how to small talk. Besides, they both were well versed in interesting topics. Having someone else who understood the craziness of their jobs made it a lot simpler. It wasn’t as awkward or foreign as she originally thought it would be. They spent most of the time catching up and swapping stories about a lot of things that weren’t work related. He hadn’t brought up the fact that she left again and she was glad. But then, dessert came.

She grabbed a forkful of her cake and let out a soft moan. “Damn, this is good.”

She felt her cheeks warm when she heard him chuckle. “You want me to leave you alone with it?”

She laughed when she saw the smile plastered on his face. “Shut up, it’s probably the best mousse cake I’ve ever had. Here try it.”

Their eyes locked as she placed the fork to his lips. She once again realized where they were and how intimate the situation was getting. But yet, she couldn’t look away. Instead her eyes were focused on the pair of beautiful brown orbs staring intensely back at her. He was the first one to break contact.

She heard him clear his throat. “Yeah, that is very good.”

“I heard about Emily,” she said after a while, needing to focus on something other than the way his lips looked.

“Ashley,” He paused for a moment. “I’m sorry that we… that I didn’t tell you.”

She took the last bite of her dessert and shook her head. “No, it’s okay. Hotch, I understand. I’m just glad that she’s alive. But that’s not what I meant. I was talking about her departure to London.”

Relief passed through his features. “Yeah, we were all a little sad to see her go. But it’s a good opportunity for her. And,” he gestured to the intimate setting they were in. “Please, call me Aaron.”

She let out a nervous chuckle. “Yeah, alright Aaron.”

Later on she would pinpoint that was the moment things started to shift. It was then that she really noticed how intimate the whole situation was. She was in a candlelit restaurant with her old boss. They were having a dinner that had nothing to do with work. She was sharing a meal with the man she always had a slight crush on. She was wearing a dress that was probably slightly too inappropriate for the situation. Suddenly, it felt too real, too much like a real date and she wasn’t mentally prepared for that.

Aaron noticed because he leaned over and touched her arm. “Ashley, are you okay?”

She felt a jolt of electricity run through her body and swallowed. “Huh, yeah I’m fine.”

He didn’t say anything else but she noticed that his pupils had dilated slightly. She passed it off as the restaurant’s dim lighting.

The waitress came by to check on them. “Did you two enjoy your meal?”

Just like earlier, her mouth and brain didn’t seem to be working. Aaron must have noticed because he answered for them.

“It was wonderful, thank you.” He replied as he got out his wallet.

She couldn’t help the slight confusion in her voice as she spoke. “Aaron?”

“I made you wait a half hour, the least I can do is pay.” He replied with a slight shrug before handing over his card.

She wasn’t quite sure if he was doing this because he was pretending to be her date or if because he genuinely wanted to pay. But she had to remind herself to keep her face as neutral as possible. And she did, until they got up to leave and he put his hand on the small of her back as they walked through the exit.

The cold air hit her face and she held back a shiver. He noticed because he pulled her a little closer. “Where’s your car?”

“In the repair shop. I took a cab here.” She replied, ignoring the warmth of his body near hers.

“Oh, well in that case. Let me give you a ride home.” He told her as they walked across the street.

She stopped him. “No, it’s fine. Really Aaron, you don’t have to.” He shook his head and he grabbed her hand to move her forward.

She almost sighed at the loss of contact when they got to the car and he let go of her hand. “Don’t be ridiculous. It’s not a problem.”

“Aaron,” she started but he shook his head.

“Ashley, I’m not taking no for an answer.” He opened the passenger door for her. “Besides, you’ll freeze waiting for a cab out here.”

She smiled at his generosity. “Always a gentleman.”

“Not always.” The look he gave her made her catch her breath.

The ride to her house was quiet. Not awkward but the radio was heard more than their voices. It seemed that they both had things on their minds. She briefly wondered what he was thinking about, if it was the same thing she was. Was it a date? Or was he pitying her because she got stood up? Did he feel the shift too when they were at the restaurant? Or was she reading into the looks and moments they seemed to have? She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn’t notice when he pulled into the driveway.

“How do you know where I…?” She shook her head at his expression. “You know what, I don’t want to know.”

He quickly got out the car and opened the door for her. “I’ll walk you to your door.”

“See, a true gentleman.” She said as she grabbed his hand to step out. "You want to come in for a drink?"

She dug the keys out of her purse and missed the expression that passed along his face. “Sure, why not.”

As they stepped into the house she briefly wondered if this was a good idea. But as the door closed, she knew that it was too late now. It was a small house, cozy and tidy. She tried to make it as ‘homey’ as possible but with the crazy work hours, she didn’t get much time for decorating. There was something in the air, the place seemed to crackle with electricity. Or maybe it was just the effects of his touch.

“It’s a nice house.” He told her as he followed closely behind her.

She motioned for him to sit down on the couch in the living room as she got out the glasses. “Yeah, I brought it recently. A friend of mine is a realtor and he pulled some strings for me.”

She placed the glasses on the table and sat down beside him. “I just realized that I haven’t thanked you.”

She couldn’t help but feel slightly giddy when she brought out the Whiskey. She saw the surprised look on his face before it was replaced with a smile. They both remembered a conversation they had on the plane ride home from a case. The team had been discussing the best alcohols and their best alcohol related stories when Aaron decided to surprise them all and share a story about him and a bottle of Whiskey.

“Thank me for what?” He asked, the smile still on his face as she poured the alcohol into the two glasses.

She cocked her head to the side, trying to decide how to form her thoughts into words. “For coming to my rescue, once again. If I had a nickel for every time you’ve saved me.”

He waved her off, the glass still in his other hand. “No need to thank me.”

She exhaled, it was so typical of him to brush it off. “Yeah, there is. We’re not even working together anymore and you’re still coming to my aid.”

“I’ll always be there if you need me.” He smiled and she felt her heart skip a beat. “I had a good time tonight.”

“Me too,” she replied, still staring into his eyes.

They stayed like that for a few moments and she could tell that something was on his mind. “Why’d you leave?”

It was then when she looked away, she had to. “Well, you had starting talking about budget cuts and changes and I heard that Andi Swann needed a new team member. So, I figured why not.”

Even without looking at him, she knew that he didn’t believe her. “I don’t believe that.”

She sighed. “I couldn’t stay Aaron.”

“Why not?” He asked quietly and she had a feeling that he already knew the reason why.

“You’re the renowned profiler.” She swiveled the remaining liquid in the glass. “I think you've already figured it out.”

“I would like to hear it from you.” He said softly as she shook her head and refused to look at him.

“Ashley.” She focused on her hands and the remnants of her chipped nail polish. She heard him set the glass down on the edge of the table before he turned to face her.

He gently tilted her chin upwards. “Ashley,”

“Hotch,” she whispered, the use of his last name not lost on either of them.

“You didn’t have to leave because...” He trailed off, placing his hand on top of hers.

She felt the words bubble up inside her and was unable to stop herself. “Because of you. That’s not it, well not entirely. I left because of me. I left because I couldn’t just sit around and… You know what, it doesn’t matter anymore.” She shook her head and stood up. “You should leave, it’s getting late. Thank you for tonight.”

When he didn’t move, she sighed. “Hotch, I’m fine.” He didn’t do anything but stare at her with an expression she couldn’t place. “It was nothing and it was a long time ago. And I’m over it. Really, it’s fine.”

He got up and stood a little too close to her personal space. He opened his mouth to speak but then closed it. They stayed like that for a moment before he slowly brought a hand to just barely touch her face. She couldn’t help but inhale as his thumb stroked her cheek.

“Aaron,” she warned, feeling her eyes flutter closed. “Please, don’t.”

“Did you ever think…What if,” He leaned in closer to her, their lips almost touching. “What if this is what I wanted too.”

“But it wasn’t. And I’m not stupid Aaron.” She placed a hand on his chest, pulling herself away from him and swallowed. “And I definitely don’t need your pity.”

His stare was as intense as when they were at the restaurant and she once again couldn’t look away. “Did you ever think that maybe it wasn’t just you?”

“What are you saying?” She felt his steady heartbeat through his shirt. “Aaron, I…I need you to be clear because I-I can’t misinterpret things. Not again.”

She could tell that he wanted to know what she meant by that, but he didn’t speak.

He stepped back into her personal space and she let her hand fall limply to her side. “I’m a professional. I can’t let my work and my personal feelings intertwine. When I asked you to join the team, it wasn’t just because of your past. I never could… we were working together. But I wanted you there, with me. And then you left and you didn’t let me say goodbye.”

“I couldn’t,” she cursed herself for the crack in her voice. “I knew that if I saw you, I wouldn’t have been able to go through with it.”

He placed his hands on the sides of her face and this time when she closed her eyes, she felt a pair of lips on hers. He tasted like Whiskey and promises. The intoxicating smell of his cologne was making her dizzy. She realized that it was the sort of kiss that she could get addicted to, and fast. He ran his fingers through her hair and she couldn’t help but sink further into the kiss. She let her hands roam over his body but stopped when he moved his lips to the base of her neck. When he pulled away, she couldn’t help but release a slight whimper. All the wanting and wishing she had done over the years came back and hit her, like a tidal wave. And she needed him, now. She laced her fingers at the back of his neck and pulled him towards her, their lips pressed together again. After a few moments, he pulled away slightly. His lips still hoovering inches above hers.

“Ashley,” She could feel his breath on her lips as he spoke. “Still over it?”

She had time to whisper an incomprehensible mumble before he leaned in and pressed his lips to her collarbone. As she led the way to her bedroom, the air was thick with anticipation of what was to come.


End file.
